Welcome from the Chief Residents!
Left to Right: Andrew Wei, Maria Khalid, Teresa Jiang, Kyle Tillinghast
WELCOME to wonderful and dynamic Seattle from your UW Anesthesia Chief Residents!
Choosing a residency program is a very exciting and momentous time. We also recognize the unique challenges of making this decision during virtual recruitment post-COVID. Please know that we are always available to chat with you about the program. As the Chief Residents, we want to highlight why we love the University of Washington Department of Anesthesiology!
The UW Anesthesia Training Program:
Residency is a time of personal and professional growth, and it is important to choose a program that is the right fit for you. We believe our combination of excellent clinical training, faculty committed to resident education, and robust didactics will provide you with everything you need to excel wherever you go after residency. Historically our graduates have been very successful at either matching into fellowship programs of their choice, or procuring jobs at academic medical centers or private groups.
Clinical Training
Your anesthesiology training at UW will provide a strong clinical foundation for anything you may face coming out of residency. Our system provides specialty care for 5 states or the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho), covering almost 25% of the total US landmass. With this expansive geographic catchment region, the surgical complexity and diversity of your training experience are unparalleled. At Harborview Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center, your experience may include everything from management of bear maulings to gunshot victims, and everything in between. At the University of Washington Medical Center, you will gain in-depth experience in the “big cases” unique to a quaternary care center including complex general surgery, oncologic surgery, cardiac surgery, transplant surgery, neurosurgery, and obstetrics. Even early on as a CA-1 you will have ample opportunities to do complex cases, such as liver transplants and craniotomies. At Seattle Children’s Hospital, a leading pediatric hospital in the country, you will experience caring for complex syndromic pediatric patients undergoing specialized surgery in addition to bread & butter cases with a diverse faculty who excel in resident education. The VA Puget Sound provides a unique opportunity to care for a vulnerable population with rotations in acute & chronic pain, pre-op clinic, regional anesthesia, and general operating rooms.
Education
Our education office and program directors have concentrated heavily on creating a robust formal didactic program at UW. Every 3 weeks on Wednesdays, each class receives a protected day away from clinical duties for problem-based learning discussions and simulation sessions. This is not including the excellent formal teaching from our subspecialty rotations. We also receive department-funded question bank subscriptions, an academic fund for textbook purchases, and unrestricted access to the huge UW Library database for scientific journals and medical texts.
Mentorship
Mentorship is critically important to success in residency. This is especially true in a large department. From days after you match, you will join your peers in the F.A.M. — the “Fantastic Anesthesia Mentorship” program! In this peer mentoring program, enthusiastic and experienced senior residents are grouped with junior residents to provide guidance during their residency journeys! Matches are made based on your specific goals and preferences to ensure a good fit. In addition to peer mentors, you will choose a formal faculty advisor at the start of your CA1 year, and will also have many opportunities to identify additional advisors and mentors based on your interests and goals.
Other Opportunities
Our program rewards self-starters who can avail of the rich opportunities in the institution, hospitals, and city. As a result, there are several different pathways that residents have taken in our program. We have an excellent track record of jobs and fellowship placement, including a wide variety of fellowship opportunities at our own institution. If you are interested in pursuing research, there are extensive opportunities including a formal track through the Bonica Scholars Program. Simulation education and research is a big opportunity with multiple full-scale simulation centers at UW, Harborview, and Seattle Children’s Hospital. UW has robust multidisciplinary global health programs, and a global health leadership course is available during the CA-2 year. We have a variety of moonlighting experiences available to supplement salary if you wish, where residents are able to make extra pay for extra duty (EPED). Needless to say, if you have an interest or idea, you will find someone here who can support you with resources and guidance.
Wellness and Resiliency:
Resident well-being is a priority at UW. The department-funded Wellness Committee consists of an awesome group of residents from all years who organize social gatherings throughout the year. They also helped in the creation of “Wellness Rooms” at our major sites where residents share laughter and engaging conversations during breaks at work. We also have a Peer Support Program that provides a safe environment for confidential discussions to occur. It is available to all residents at any time. They assist residents with anything they need: from support following an emotionally challenging case to advice for planning fellowships and careers.
Outside of the hospital, Seattle is a culturally diverse city surrounded by beautiful water and breathtaking snow-capped mountains. The city offers an endless array of nature activities: hiking, camping, rock climbing, skiing/snowboarding, sailing, kayaking, surfing, and more. Seattle is also a rapidly growing city, with a robust culinary, coffee and micro-brew scene. We are well-known for our music, but also have a number of professional sports teams including baseball, football, soccer, and hockey! Sea-Tac is a bustling international airport offering opportunities to travel abroad during vacations, and possible 2-week vacation blocks allow international adventures.
Diversity:
At UW, we are committed to recruiting a diverse group of residents. We believe that we are strongest when we have colleagues from different racial, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds and when we are supporting women and LGBTQ+ residents in anesthesia. Our department has its own Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council whose mission is to promote an inclusive and equitable working environment for the advancement of faculty, staff, and trainees. At the resident level, the recently founded Diversity Committee partners closely with program leadership to create and improve a culture of diversity and inclusion within our own training program. We have the unique opportunity to care for a diverse set of patients — both coming from across the WWAMI region, Seattle’s refugee population, and different immigrant communities locally. Diversity among physicians makes us better providers and ultimately leads to better patient care.
Resident Benefits:
You may have questions or concerns about UW Anesthesia given the press regarding the union negotiations. We would love to provide our Chief Resident perspective. The Resident and Fellow Physician Union – Northwest (formerly known as UWHA) is an asset to our residency. In many programs, the resident perspective may be subject to whims and changes over time. This is not the case at UW. The union provides constant advocacy of the resident perspective and allows for benefits that extend far beyond what any individual department could negotiate. Check out the benefits here from childcare to transportation to salary stipends!
Perspectives on UW Anesthesia:
Each of us has forged our own path through this program. That is the beauty of our program. Whether you are interested in pursuing academic medicine, private practice, or a non-traditional path, you will be supported in this department. Residents who are motivated, work as a team player, and thrive on opportunity will excel in our program.
Meet the Chiefs:
Maria Khalid
Hi everyone! I am the Academic Chief Resident. I’m originally from Maryland, did my medical school training in Pittsburgh, and also have a background in teaching high school English prior to pursuing a career in medicine. I chose UW for its location, and for the breadth of experience that we get here as anesthesia residents. While Seattle may have a reputation for being rainy and cloudy (not wrong), it is also one of the most beautiful cities in the world, surrounded by water, mountains, volcanoes, and national parks on all sides. The summers here are absolutely spectacular and you won’t run out of things to do outside, whether it’s hiking, rock-climbing, paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing, jet skiing, etc. We are also surrounded by numerous accessible ski resorts and are 20 min away from a major international airport.
Training as an anesthesia resident at UW means that there isn’t a patient population or pathology that you won’t encounter, whether you’re looking for experience in trauma, transplant, burns, high risk OB, CT, Peds, or pain management. You will treat patients who are high acuity, from diverse backgrounds, and from all over the WWAMI region.
As academic chief, my goals are to continue improving upon our already awesome didactic program, to facilitate residents’ involvement in research, grand rounds, and recruitment, and to work on projects that will improve resident wellness.
If you have any questions at all about our program and all that it has to offer, do not hesitate to reach me at mkhalid2@uw.edu.
Andrew Wei
Hello! I’m Andrew, the administrative chief for Harborview Medical Center! I’m originally from Honolulu, HI. I went to Northwestern in Chicago for both undergrad and medical school training. Prior to anesthesia residency, I completed a pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Although it took me a little while to find anesthesia, I think it really is the greatest specialty and we get to do really amazing things.
I chose to come to UW for its comprehensive clinical experience, location (Seattle, PNW, West-Coast), and amazing people. At UWMC, we take care of complex cardiac, transplant, and get comfortable managing periop issues for “sicker” patients. At Harborview, you will take care of people from all walks of life, major trauma including penetrating (occasional crossbow), blunt, and bear maulings from Alaska. At Children’s you get to take care of premature neonates and pediatric patients with congenital anomalies. The breadth of experience we get is truly unrivaled.
Seattle is probably one of the most beautiful places that I’ve lived. Outdoor activities are plentiful – hiking, skiing, kayaking, rock climbing. However, you also don’t have to love the outdoors to live here. There is something for everyone, including concerts, restaurants, beer, wine, etc… It does rain a lot though and the winter is a bit long.
Your co-residents, attendings, CRNAs, administrative staff, and anesthesia techs really make a difference. I can say that people here are generally nice, respectful, and cordial. Even our surgeons are all quite reasonable, friendly, and professional.
I hope wherever you end up for residency, that you have a solid training experience. I can assure you that if you match here, that you definitely will.
Teresa Jiang
Hello everyone! I am the administrative chief for Seattle Children’s Hospital and VA Puget Sound Medical Center. I grew up in the Seattle area, went to UW for undergrad, and did research at the NIH for a couple of years before going to the University of Chicago for medical school. After completing residency, I will be pursuing a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology.
I’ve loved my experience at UW. I chose to come here for residency because I wanted to be prepared for anything I could encounter after training. The size of the area UW serves (pooled from the 5 state WWAMI region) means that caring for patients of high complexity and acuity becomes routine. Although we are a large program, I’ve found a close-knit community here. At UW, your incredible attendings, coresidents, and program coordinators are all there to support you on your residency journey!
I was thrilled to return to the mountains for residency and love to spend my free time getting outside the city hiking and rock-climbing. Seattle is within 3 hours of 3 national parks (Rainier, Olympic, North Cascades), and has easy access to just about any outdoorsy activity you can think of (backcountry skiing, mountaineering, kiteboarding, mountain biking, trail running…) but being outdoorsy isn’t a requirement! The city has beautiful parks, lakes in every direction, diverse restaurants, and obviously, an excellent coffee scene.
Please reach out (jiangt@uw.edu) if you have any questions about choosing a residency program, recommendations for a home coffee setup, sourdough baking tips, or want to go climbing.
Kyle Tillinghast
Welcome to the Anesthesiology Training Program at the University of Washington! As a chief resident, I am excited to share with you why I chose this program and what makes it a great place for residents to receive exceptional training in the field of anesthesiology.
First and foremost, the faculty and staff at the University of Washington are truly outstanding. Our attending physicians and other healthcare professionals are leaders in the field of anesthesiology and are committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients. They are also dedicated to teaching and mentoring residents, which creates an exceptional learning environment for all of us.
Additionally, the University of Washington offers a wide range of clinical experiences that prepare residents for any career path in anesthesiology they may choose. From regional anesthesia to pain management to pediatric anesthesia, we have a diverse array of clinical rotations that allow residents to develop expertise in many different areas.
Finally, Seattle is an incredible city to live and work in. From the vibrant cultural scene to the beautiful natural surroundings, there is always something new to discover in the Emerald City.
Overall, I am so proud to be a part of the Anesthesiology Training Program at the University of Washington, and I would encourage anyone interested in pursuing a career in anesthesiology to consider joining us. We look forward to welcoming you to our program!